Productivity Simplified

Workplace Productivity Simplified

There are many definitions of workplace productivity. We have chosen to define it not as a number, but as a process of continuously improving the ability to make a positive difference in the lives of clients, customers, and employees through your products and services.

It's important to slow down and take in the words "continuously", as in never stopping, and "improving" as in striving to get better every day.

There are certain areas that should be continuously improved - areas that successful businesses all seem to do a good job of. Some of them at first glance don't belong in this group. But they are often overlooked:

Products and Services

Customer Service

Business Planning

Employee matching and development

Get the waste out

Products and Services

In today's world, new products and ways of doing things are produced every day. Those businesses that think that their products and services do not need to be steadily improved will find themselves behind competition. Whether you run a dry cleaners, a restaurant, or manufacturing operation, the competitive environment demands continuous improvement.

This requires a deep understanding of the strong points and opportunities for improvement of products and services, the way they are delivered, and it's pricing.

Customer Service

Excellence in customer service is an expectation by most customers and clients today. Armed with smartphones, they delight in taking pictures and sharing their experiences on social media of every product and service that they consume. No business, no matter the size, is immune from this new public scrutiny.

The businesses that "get" this are now hard at work figuring out how to respond quickly to customer praise and complaints. They are relentlessly driving the time down to resolve customer issues, and to do it in a way that can be seen on social media.

Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms are being used to quickly find customer mentions or direct messages to solve a problem. Mobile customers realize that this is often a faster way to get their problems solved than calling.

In addition, all employees need to understand that they have a responsibility to make sure that customer issues are resolved professionally. Doing so often turns a negative situation into a positive one. Employee training for this is a necessity.

Business Planning

Every business should have specific goals and action plans connected to these goals. Having all managers and employees understand these goals and their roles in making them happen is something that many businesses do not take the time to do.

We help our clients understand the importance of, and create the overall business plan, including the marketing and advertising plan. it is impossible to tell if the right day to day decisions are being made unless the framework of goals and actions are clear and understood. And it's impossible to see if the business is on track or not for the same reason. Gone are the days when a business owner could work exclusively in their business without also working on the business (see continuous improvement above).

Employee Matching and Development

Employee matching involves hiring people who have an affinity for the job. For example, hiring a customer service manager who doesn't enjoy working with people is not going to work for the customer or the business.

The best tools we know of to do this are the thought put into creating and writing a thorough job description, and using a DISC profile to measure a person's behavioral style match with the job. We help our clients with both of these factors.

Once the right person is in the job, some investment in the employee to improve their ability to deliver results will pay dividends.

Get The Waste Out

Working on removing the sources of people's wasted workplace time and money improves the speed of operation and reduces the cost of doing business. What business or nonprofit couldn't benefit from that?

There is a methodology that is founded on simple steps, that has saved businesses $billions. we train our clients to do this. We focus most of this effort on improving their paid advertising, but the principles apply to any business or any operation.

Contact us today to discuss your situation. We may be able to help you with some of your productivity challenges.